1936 Winter Olympics

IV Olympic Winter Games

The 1936 Olympic Logo comprises the Olympic rings in the foreground and the summit of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Alps with a ski track leading to the mountains in the background. Around, there is the inscription "IV. OLYMPISCHE WINTERSPIELE 1936 GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN"
Host city	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Nations participating	28
Athletes participating	646 (566 men, 80 women)
Events	17 in 4 sports (8 disciplines)
Opening ceremony	February 6
Closing ceremony	February 16
Officially opened by	President / Chancellor Adolf Hitler
Athlete's Oath	Wilhelm Bogner
Stadium	Olympia Skistadion

Opening Ceremony with Rudolf Hess, president of IOC count Henri de Baillet-Latour, and Adolf Hitler

The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (French: Les IVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) (German: Olympische Winterspiele 1936), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin. 1936 is the last year in which the Summer and Winter Games were both held in the same country (the cancelled 1940 games would have been held in Japan, with that country likewise hosting the Winter and Summer games).

The 1936 Winter Olympics were organized on behalf of the Hans von Tschammer und Osten.

Highlights

• German skier Willy Bogner took the Olympic oath during the opening ceremonies.
• Alpine skiing made its first appearance in the winter Olympics as the combined, which added a skier's results in both the downhill and slalom. German athletes Franz Pfnür won men's alpine and Christl Cranz won women's alpine events.
• Ivar Ballangrud won three out of the four speed skating races.
• Sonja Henie won her third consecutive gold medal in woman's figure skating.
• Switzerland won the 4 man bobsled in a time of 5:19.85.
• Great Britain upset 1932 gold medalists Canada in ice hockey when Edgar Brenchley scored the winning goal within the last ninety seconds.
• The country who won the overall games was Norway with a total of 7 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 3 bronze medals.
• These games had the largest and heaviest medals ever awarded to athletes: 100 mm diameter, 4 mm thick, weighing 324 g.

Sports

Medals were awarded in 17 events contested in 4 sports (8 disciplines).

• Bobsleigh (2) ()
• Ice hockey (1) ()
• Skating
  • Figure skating (3) ()
  • Speed skating (4) ()
• Skiing
  • Alpine skiing (2) ()
  • Nordic skiing ()
    • Cross-country skiing (3) ()
    • Nordic combined (1) ()
    • Ski jumping (1) ()

Demonstration sports

• Military patrol
• Ice Stock Sport

Venues

• Große Olympiaschanze – Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and Ski Jumping.
• Gudiberg – Alpine skiing (combined – slalom)
• Kreuzjoch – Alpine skiing (combined – downhill)
• Kreuzeck – Alpine skiing (downhill finish line)
• Olympia-Kunsteisstadion – Figure skating and Ice hockey
• Riessersee and surrounding areas – Bobsleigh, Ice